recreational drug
noun
: a drug (such as cocaine, marijuana, or methamphetamine) used without medical justification for its psychoactive effects often in the belief that occasional use of such a substance is not habit-forming or addictive
Examples of recreational drug in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Despite its name, the recreational drug may not contain cocaine at all and gets its color from food coloring.
—
Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024
That same year, a survey of nearly 1,500 recreational drug users at European EDM festivals found that about 20 percent had tried tusi in the last 12 months.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024
Pink cocaine is a recreational drug that includes ketamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, opioids, and/or new psychoactive substances, according to the National Institutes of Health.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024
Payne reportedly had a recreational drug that is typically made up of MDMA, ketamine and methamphetamine in his system.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for recreational drug 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024
That same year, a survey of nearly 1,500 recreational drug users at European EDM festivals found that about 20 percent had tried tusi in the last 12 months.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024
Pink cocaine is a recreational drug that includes ketamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, opioids, and/or new psychoactive substances, according to the National Institutes of Health.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024
Payne reportedly had a recreational drug that is typically made up of MDMA, ketamine and methamphetamine in his system.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for recreational drug
Dictionary Entries Near recreational drug
Cite this Entry
“Recreational drug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recreational%20drug. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
recreational drug
noun
rec·re·a·tion·al drug
ˌrek-rē-ˈā-sh(ə-)nəl- 
: a drug (as cocaine, marijuana, or methamphetamine) used without medical justification for its psychoactive effects often in the belief that occasional use of such a substance is not habit-forming or addictive
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share